SXSW PanelPicker Opens for Voting

Austin’s annual South By Southwest festival may have just wrapped up five months ago, but attendees are already starting to vote on what events they want to see at the 2014 fest. At the SXSW PanelPicker site, users can filter through over 4,000 proposals for panels, workshops and discussions and upvote their favorites. SXSW employees will then determine the schedule for next year’s event by factoring in the public vote, staff opinion, and the SXSW Advisory Board. Community voting will be open until Sept. 6.

According to a HAVAS Media Group study, most people worldwide would not care if more than 73% of brands disappeared tomorrow. That said, there are still plenty of brands we can’t live without, and companies that know how to utilize insights about social interaction and consumer behavior can create connected experiences to improve peoples’ lives. In this session, PayPal, Mashable and Spotify break down how successful brands cut through the noise and what roles mobile and scalable engagements play in their strategies. Vote here!

The retail landscape is evolving at a breakneck pace and while the future is unclear, one thing is certain: if you don’t embrace a digitized future, your brand will be left behind. Retailers need to embrace the opportunity before them and engage with customers in a new way. Specifically, they need to bring the best of online technology into the physical store — this includes everything from lookbooks and 3D printing, to magic “try-on” mirrors and body scans. Join four retail innovators from eBay Inc, New Look, Bonobos as they discuss what’s worked for them in the past and where they’re placing their bets for the next generation of stores. An industry leading moderator will be announced. Vote here!